Animation purists go nuts whenever a studio revives their cartoon characters. There’s resistance when iconic figures are updated to modern times. Yet most of these characters were constantly altered to match the times during their decades long run as theatrical shorts. The Looney Tunes Show brings back Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck in a more TV sitcom format. They bring back many of the familiar faces that one ruled Termite Terrace although they’ve changed the attitude on a few of them. The Looney Tunes Show: Season One, Volume 2 has four more episodes of Bugs and Daffy in the 21st Century.
“Monster Talent” turns the red hairy monster Gossamer into the witch’s son. Daffy must coach the creature for a school talent show. Bugs gets tricked into becoming a pitchman for Speedy Gonzales’ frozen pizza. Bugs doesn’t react well to becoming the new Billy Mays. “Reunion” has Daffy scared to death of going to his high school reunion. Why? Because he fears he peaked before graduation. It’s up to Bugs to make him realize he’s done a lot over the years. “Casa de Calma” sends Bugs and Daffy to a resort. The duo nearly go unnoticed since there’s a hot actress on the property. Both have eyes for her, but her bodyguard has a fist for Daffy. The flighty foul goes younger to get her attention. “Devil Dog” lets Bugs mistake the Tasmanian Devil for an overeager dog. He wants to tame the beast so he can win Best in Show. As a bonus, each episode includes a Road Runner and Wile E. Coyote short made in 3-D CGI. There’s quite a bit of depth to the mayhem when the Coyote drops off the desert cliffs.
The Looney Tunes Show does a fine job playing with the classic characters in modern times. The show works best when you don’t think too hard about the history since you’ll ponder too long the witch gave birth to Gossamer. The purists will rage about such changes. The original cartoons aren’t being altered so there’s no harm in changing up the format. The Looney Tunes Show continues the complicated relationship between Bugs and Daffy that always goes weird when they screw up that turn at Albuquerque.
The video is 1.78:1 anamorphic. The transfers are clean with a sharpness on the Roadrunner CGI action. The audio is Dolby Digital Surround Stereo. You’ll get the looney nature and the tunes mixed properly. There are dub tracks in Spanish, Portuguese and Thai. The episodes are subtitled in English, French, Spanish, Portuguese and Thai.
There are no bonus features.
The Looney Tunes Show: Season One, Volume 2 lets Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck take a stab at being sitcom superstars. The duo work well with their daring nature and strange fears. The CGI work on the Road Runner and Wiley Coyote shorts is worth a gander for those who enjoyed what Chuck Jones did to the chase.
Warner Home Video presents The Looney Tunes Show: Season One, Volume 2. Starring: June Foray, Kristen Wiig, Fred Armisen and Jennifer Esposito. Running Time: 98 minutes. Released on DVD: December 6, 2011. Available at Amazon.com.
